Warning

Go Light-seeing!

'Tis the season for dazzling Christmas displays—let our list of some of the biggest and brightest displays across Texas light your path toward a fun holiday outing with family and friends.

Lighting up the River Walk

Holiday River Parade and the Lighting of the River Walk, Nov. 27-Jan. 1

Fiesta de las Luminarias, Dec. 4-6, 11-13, 18-20

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony begins the San Antonio Riverwalk’s highly anticipated light display each year. At 7 p.m., the switch is thrown to reveal trees draped in colorful lights, and more than two dozen lighted barges float down the river to kick off the Christmas season.

If you want a front-row seat, tickets for spots along the parade route are sold at www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com starting in September, or do as the locals do and scout out your own spot on one of the bridges overlooking the action. Restaurants and hotels also offer dinner packages for those who would like to enjoy the parade with food and drinks.

If you miss the big event on Nov. 27, you can still enjoy the festive lights until the new year, plus more than 6,000 luminarias and carolers on river barges on weekends from Dec. 4–20. Call the local visitor bureau at 800/447-3372 for more information.

We recommend checking websites or calling ahead to find out whether any admission fees apply, and whether the display is drive-through or walk-through. These are just a few ideas to get you started--do you know of any holiday lighting displays that are worth the drive? (If you have one you’d like to add to our list, do so by submitting an event listing here!)

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ABOUT TEXAS HIGHWAYS

Published monthly by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world.